Philadelphia Eagles: Miles Sanders a top-ten option in PPR Fantasy

Don’t let Sanders’ absence at Philadelphia Eagles camp screw up your PPR team.

By a show of hands, how many of you die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fans would never put Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott on your Fantasy football team? It’s okay. It’s totally understandable. While winning one’s Fantasy league is important, no one would blame any owner that loves the ‘Birds’ if he or she eschewed adding ‘Zeke’ or Saquon to their backfield.

Why? The reasons are obvious. No Eagles fan should have to endure cheering for a New York Giants or Dallas Cowboys star for any reason, but what about some of that homegrown talent? Miles Sanders, following an amazing rookie season, is primed for quite the follow up in 2020.

He seems like a nice Fantasy option. The only thing is he’s been absent from the field at Eagles camp. He’s ‘week-to-week’ with a lower-body injury, but whether your league follows the points per reception (PPR) and standard scoring system mode, you probably don’t want to ignore ’26’ if you have an opportunity to add him.

Here’s a quick Fantasy lesson and an explanation of why you need the Philadelphia Eagles star running back on your PPR team.

If you’re a rookie in all of this, here’s a quick explanation of PPR versus standard scoring modes, courtesy of the NBC Sports Boston Staff. Let’s start with the standard scoring mode.

"As the name suggests, this set of rules have largely dominated the Fantasy football world in the modern era. The basics include one point for every 10 rushing/receiving yards gained, six points for a rushing/receiving touchdown, one point per 25 passing yards, and four points per passing touchdown.Standard scoring heavily skews toward rewarding touchdowns… Obviously, the goal of football is to score touchdowns, so that should be reflected in Fantasy. On the other hand, touchdowns are very difficult to predict, and a James Develin touchdown from the one-yard line after a 35-yard pass from Brady to Edelman disproportionately rewards Develin for much less real-world value."

Here’s a breakdown of the PPR model.

"Every position in PPR leagues scores more points than standard. The scoring is self-explanatory: players receive a bonus point for each reception. This places a premium on players like Edelman and James White who catch a lot of passes but might not find the end zone as consistently as a player like Leonard Fournette.Some people don’t like PPR because it can reward players for catching a pass and going for negative or zero yards, which doesn’t help real-world football teams. One alternative that is gaining traction in the fantasy community is half-PPR scoring, which awards a half-point for every reception and can be a good middle ground."

Here’s where Sanders comes in. One thing that Fantasy and NFL football have in common is the fact that players who aren’t available can’t have a direct result on wins and losses. While knowing Sanders is injured can make fans uncomfortable, he’ll be back, he’s going to snag a ton of receptions, and he’s a guy that can guarantee one or two more wins for your Fantasy squad.

According to one of ESPN’s Fantasy gurus, Mike Clay, two of Philly’s top receivers are among the 45 best prospects in PPR Fantasy leagues. One is Zach Ertz. He’s 42nd. Mr. Sanders cracks the list’s top ten. He’s number eight. How much more plain can we make this? Do not ignore MIles Sanders, especially if you’re playing PPR football. Leagues are popping up everywhere. Make sure he’s apart of your draft strategy.